What a year 2020 has turned out to be. COVID-19 kept us inside, and made us appreciate the little things in life, like sharing a beer with friends at the local brewpub. Then yet another death of a black man at the hands of police, and racial tensions boiled over–something that was overdue in this country, quite honestly. Many of those same people who had been sheltering in place left their homes, masks and all, willing to risk their lives to protest this injustice. There are many ways we can try to change the way we address inequality. One small thing we can do is to support black-owned breweries in our region. (This article by Thrillist highlights a few.)

In a recent exchange about race on Facebook, an old white man told a friend of mine to “go back to the kitchen” — now this woman is a lawyer, and journalist, and while she may whip up fantastic meals, he was not praising her ability to make crepes. I understsand that I am a priveleged middle-aged white woman, and if this is the insult we put up with…well, so it goes. But I am just sick of this way of thinking across the board. I am also an adoptee who has no right to my own original birth certificate which every other American owns, and maybe it’s a small thing to you…but to me it is identity. So I know a *tiny* little bit about being marginalized. And I. Am. DONE.

Today my father, Jack McAuliffe, is 75 years old! Jack was born in Caracas, Venezuela because his father, John McAuliffe, was working in South America to crack codes for the FBI during WWII. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover sent a letter of congratulations to the McAuliffes on the occasion of Jack’s birth. It was an auspicious beginning for Jack, who later lived in suburban Washington, D.C. during his youth. His parents sent him to a Maryland boarding school, where he met my birthmother, Linda. I was born in Washington, D.C. the year after Jack and Linda graduated high school. I was adopted by a loving couple, and while I wouldn’t meet Jack for many more years, when I did, I said I knew that beer was in my blood!

Today Jack is living in a home for U.S. Veterans because of some health challenges he’s had recently. He’s doing well and during this time of COVID-19 quarantine, he misses his friends at the Creekside Tavern in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Since his appearance at the Smithsonian’s opening of the “Brewing a Revolution” exhibit in November, he’s shaved his beard, and has had to stop drinking. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said he’d like vector maps–a nod to his time as a small aircraft pilot. So, that’s what I sent him!

Here in Ohio, things are slowly opening up, though I am not in a hurry to go back to retail establishments. However, I would love for our weather to break so I could at least sit on a patio at a brewery. I had my kids over one particularly nice weekend, and we sat outside and had some Bomba tacos and guac at a socially acceptable distance.

Spring keeps rushing toward summer. The wrens in my front door wreath flew the nest. Mother’s Day came and went. Porter and I continue to hit the trails on a daily basis, between my Zoom meetings and answering work emails. Not sure what summer will bring–it doesn’t look like there will be any concerts on the calendar, but small backyard gatherings may be okay. Meanwhile, it’s still virtual get-togethers for the most part. The Cleveland Craft Beer group on Facebook will host a happy hour this week that I plan to join.

Stay safe and healthy. And cheers to my Dad, the father of craft beer!

We are a month or so into our COVID-19 quarantine, and other than running to the grocery, the liquor store, and getting the occasional take-out, living life at home alone is my new norm. This blog has always been my writing outlet–an occasional letter to the world–mostly about my beer travels and things related to New Albion, but when Paul was sick, I wrote about that here too. So writing about this current world pandemic and how I’m coping seems natural to do. Coping with a beer…yeah, that too.

I’m very glad to have my buddy Porter to keep me company, We have a daily walk on the local trailhead, and thankfully, the weather is starting to break–most days it’s fairly decent out. I’m ready for a real warm-up though.

In Ohio, 2 p.m. means #WineWithDeWine, as our Governor Mike DeWine gives his daily outbreak update at that time. While I’m not usually drinking at that hour, (having started a new job–working from home like most everyone else whose office has been closed down) I do try to tune in. Thanks to early mandates DeWine issued keeping us from gathering in large groups, Ohio appears to be flattening our corona virus curve. Hopefully it won’t be much later than May before we are able to start seeing our friends and loved ones again. Thank goodness for FaceTime, Teams, and Zoom!

On Twitter this week, I noted it was National Beer Day on my @BrewersDaughterfeed, and posed, “What are you drinking to celebrate?” Someone tried to shame me for suggesting we celebrate anything with everything that is going on in the world. My reply was that I always seek something to celebrate. It’s not to ignore the suffering we are seeing around us, but to remind us that there is always something to be grateful for in life.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and while there won’t be anyone around my table, I’ll treat myself to a Reese’s peanut butter egg, and I’ll check in on the bird eggs in my front door wreath nest that is now home to a mama wren. It’s a sure sign of continued life…and I’ll take all the good signs I can right now. Cheers to you and yours. Stay healthy and safe.

Well, we are now living in interesting times, as Ohio and much of the country is on Stay at Home orders while COVID-19 runs through our communities. St. Patrick’s Day came and went without the usual celebrations as people were ordered not to gather, but to practice social distancing instead. This is a tough time for someone as social as I am, but of course the health of myself, my family and friends is my first priority. While I wanted to visit Missing Mountain Brewing for their Irish beer release and menu, I ordered a gift card online instead, and I look forward to using it in the near-ish future. Breweries, bars, and restaurants around the country are offering delivery and carry-out, so I’m trying to do my part to keep these businesses afloat, and I’m ordering out at least once a week while we go through this.

Living by myself is a bit lonely, but thanks to FaceTime, I’ve kept up with folks from near and far. A few friends and I recently did a virtual happy hour, which was a lot of fun. I gave Jack a call recently, and he’s hanging in there. He’s got a great caretaker, and seems chipper when I speak with him. I’m spending time on the porch with Porter when the weather allows for a bit of time outdoors, and we are still taking our daily walks.

A housekeeping note: I recently changed website hosting for this site, and I lost a couple of posts in the transfer. There isn’t a lot that is missing–just a few notes about the Ohio Craft Brewers Conference in Dayton, and a short trip to Florida in February–I’m glad I got to do both of those things before this virus came along and shut everything down.

Here’s hoping that you and yours are staying safe. Feel free to share a photo of a toast from home on social media, let’s all keep each other company online until we can gather again in person to raise a glass. Sláinte!

After all the excitement over Jack’s installation in the Smithsonian at the end of 2019, I found the idea of writing a blog post to top all that pretty impossible. I had a quiet holiday season, overall; happy to see my Mom and kids, still feeling the usual blues just under the surface. But now it’s another year, we’re into the science-fiction-sounding 2020, and I’m another year older at 56. I am happy to own that age for a couple of reasons. 1. Some very good people I’ve known and loved didn’t make it that far. 2. I think I look pretty darn good for 56. So, onward.

I celebrated my birthday, an unseasonably sunny early January day, with bagels at work from the best in NE Ohio, D&R’s Bagels in Solon. My workmates brought them in for a little celebration, which was very nice. I knocked off early, took a half day. Spent a bit of time on the Wilson Mills trailhead with Porter (where I snapped this selfie), our favorite hike since moving back to Ohio. That evening, Ali and Joseph came over to the East Side and we met my cousin Anna and her daughter Leslie, and my college friend Jeannine, for a round of trivia at BRIM Kitchen and Brewing. It was a fun way to celebrate all the way around.

Looking ahead, I have some more beery adventures to come. Still planning on brewing some recipes with Raleigh Brewing in North Carolina this year. In search of a brewing partner here in Ohio again. And at work, we’ve joined the Ohio Craft Brewers Association to drum up some business, and I’ll take advantage of that connection personally as well. I’ll be attending their annual conference in early February in Dayton. Looking forward to reconnecting with some Ohio beer friends I haven’t seen for some time.

From there, I’ll head to Florida for a long weekend with my friend Lisa in Raleigh. We’re meeting up in Ft. Lauderdale for some fun and sun–using the Jet Blue voucher we got after a little mishap on our way home from Key West last year. I needed to plan something fun to look forward to (sorry Cami can’t join us this time around). I’m looking forward to escaping the Ohio winter doldrums, so I think it will be a good use of a couple days of PTO.

Also, I’ve joined FitBody Boot Camp to light a fire under my ass, literally, and the workouts feel great. I like the people, and I’m motivated to keep coming back. I’m starting an 8-week challenge next week–bring it! Feeling strong all the way around. Cheers to seeing things clearly…raising a toast to what’s ahead!

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of amazing events around New Albion Brewing and craft beer, and I’m still catching my breath! The “Last Call” panel at the Smithsonian on Friday, Nov. 8th was a thrill for me, Jack, and our family. Having grown up in suburban Maryland, and making so many field trips to the U.S. American history museum–it was beyond amazing to see my father and his brewery installed.

It was especially meaningful for me to have my children with me–Matt and Ali are so proud of their grandfather’s place in history. Jack’s sister Cathy and brother Tom were also in attendance, as well as the owners of Raleigh Brewing Company–Jack’s past, present and future in one place! I had several lifelong friends who came to the panel and tasting as well–going back many years. It was surreal and wonderful to celebrate with them all.

Jack was completely happy to be able to be there, as he’s had some health challenges lately. He took his place with other brewing pioneers including home brewing godfather Charlie Papazian, Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman, Anchor Steam’s Fritz Maytag and UC Davis Prof. Michael Lewis at the event. Brewing historian and panel moderator Theresa McCulla said Jack had the best wrap up line she could have wished for–Jack told the audience that I was continuing to brew his recipes in North Carolina and Ohio, and I replied, “I’m here because of you, Jack, ” and he rightfully quipped, “I think we all are!”

The Raleigh Brewing staff was there and poured New Albion Pale Ale as well as their own beer, and Jack was a fan of both. He wasn’t able to join me the following weekend in Raleigh at the beer release event, but he was well-represented there in photos from the D.C. doings.

On Saturday, Nov. 16th, Raleigh Brewing held a kickoff event and tapped the New Albion for all in the Triangle to try. Many of my friends from my year in the City of Oaks came out to try it and celebrate with me, and it was a very special night. Proprietors Kristie and Patrik Nystedt and their brewers did a great job with the recipe–and we got some nice coverage of the release. I’m pleased to say we’ll be brewing more New Albion recipes with them. Of course a few bottles made it back home to Ohio with me.

I’m also excited that the interest in the beer Jack created from European recipes 40+ years ago is at an all-time high. I’ll continue to look for other partners for New Albion–I want to bring a taste of the past back to present day craft beer lovers! Stay tuned!

“Brewing a Revolution” at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian opens today! Many thanks to historian Theresa McCulla for her work on this project. Tickets are still available for the Last Call event on November 8th. You can get them here.

So now that it’s public I can tell you about the “Brewing A Revolution” exhibit that will be opening in November at the National Museum of American History! Jack and New Albion will be recognized along with other craft beer pioneers as part of the fifth annual Smithsonian Food History Weekend.

The Last Call: Brewing History After-Hours
Friday, November 8, 2019, at 7 p.m.

Join us for an evening of conversation with several of the most transformational figures in the beer industry and brews spanning the spectrum of the craft beer revolution. Also enjoy after-hours access to the FOOD exhibit and brewing history objects out of storage, including recent acquisitions.

Brewing a Revolution

A conversation with the founders of craft beer: Fritz Maytag, former owner of Anchor Brewing Company; Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; Charlie Papazian, founder and past president of the Brewers Association; and Michael Lewis, professor emeritus at University of California, Davis.

As you may have heard, our contract to brew New Albion with Platform Beer in Cleveland, Ohio, has now ended. When I moved to North Carolina in 2018, I began looking for a brewing partner in my new town of Raleigh. I was introduced to Kristie and Patrik Nystedt, who founded Raleigh Brewing in 2013. I admire Kristie as another woman in craft brewing, and was thrilled to learn that Patrik, like Jack, is also a pilot–those commonalities along with the wonderful beers I tasted in their taproom, forged a new partnership. I’m excited to announce they will be brewing New Albion Pale Ale very soon! Stay tuned for further details on the release date and some exciting news about a special event around that release!

While life has brought me back to Ohio in 2019, I am once again looking for a new brewing partner in my hometown of Cleveland. I enjoy the stewardship of keeping the history of my father’s original craft beer alive, and finding ways to make it available for others to taste and enjoy and appreciate. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Meanwhile, craft beer continues to grow, as the latest numbers from the Brewers Association show. The retail dollar sales of craft increased in 2018, from 7%, up to $27.6 billion, and now accounts for more than 24% of the $114.2 billion of the U.S. beer market.

And friends, my heart is in Ohio. Living in Raleigh has been a year-long adventure. I am so glad I met the people I met, and got to experience the fun and food and craft brew scene in North Carolina. My BFF Cami calls Raleigh home, so you know I’ll be back–I know our adventures aren’t over, by far.

There is something about NE Ohio that gets under your skin… the people, the places, the grit and determination of a region that is almost always considered the underdog. I’ve missed it, snow and all.

I’m looking forward to finally getting to one of my daughter’s improv shows, having more Sunday dinners with my Mom, and checking out the new breweries that have popped up in Cleveland and Akron since I’ve been away.

On a recent trip home to Ohio, I returned with a case of Great Lakes beers…which quickly disappeared from my fridge in Raleigh. Time to restock and start packing up. My move date is in mid-July. Looking forward to breaking out my Browns gear for fall…cheers!